There’s a beat or two of silence over the telephone line before a slightly winded voice says, “Hi, this is Ray.”
It’s a Tuesday afternoon and Ray Kirchner, president of Mentor City Council, is in the middle of a bike ride.
“I just had to pull off the road,” he says. An avid cyclist, Kirchner has been riding seriously for the past eight years with the Cleveland Touring Club.
“I used to run marathons, but I hurt my back,” he said. “I was looking for another form of exercise and discovered biking, and I’m sure glad I did.”
Kirchner’s enthusiasm for the sport is similar to many across the region, which has prompted cycling advocates to pursue legislation ensuring more access and fairness on Ohio’s roads.
Those moves helped propel the state’s image in the view of one national organization. The League of American Bicyclists recently ranked Ohio as the 16th most bike friendly state in the country.
Rankings were determined by surveying the state departments of transportation and bicycling advocates, according to Ohio’s report card from the League. Five categories were considered: legislation and enforcement, policies and programs, infrastructure and funding, education and encouragement, and evaluation and planning.
On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest score, Ohio received a four in education and encouragement; threes in legislation and enforcement, and policies and programs; and twos in infrastructure and funding, and evaluation and planning.
Demand for bicycle access across the region has risen in past years, prompting the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency into action, conducting more transportation studies and advising communities on how to incorporate shared roads into designs.
NOACA serves Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties as a transportation and environmental planning agency. As a federally designated metropolitan planning organization, NOACA determines which highway, bikeway and transit projects receive federal dollars.
Local elected officials serve on NOACA’s 45-member board of directors.
“Bicycles have made a very prominent comeback because of the millenial generation,” said Grace Gallucci, NOACA’s executive director. “They want more biking, more walking and more public transportation options where they live. Our ranking reflects those needs.”
Last year NOACA completed a strategic bicycle plan, which is viewable on its website, www.noaca.org. It compliments the organization’s long-range overall transportation plan, and identifies specific corridors that are best suited to shared pathways.
“NOACA has been doing that for some time. We plan for the long-term,” Gallucci said. “We’ve been actively involved in having bicycle facilities that are good. What you also see more of — as you start seeing more people bicycling, you feel more comfortable using that type of transportation.”
While the City of Cleveland and inner-ring suburbs — think Cuyahoga Heights, Lakewood, Shaker Heights and University Heights to name a few — are more commonly recognized as having alternative transport lanes, Gallucci said it isn’t the whole picture.
“Some of that is because the nature of those communities inherently support alternative transportation. They were designed for walking, bicycling and public transport,” she said. “But there is a tremendous amount of support for bicycles in Lorain County and Lake County, both of which have some good efforts that they’re working toward.”
Lorain County Engineer Ken Carney said that when a road is being resurfaced, he makes sure that the side of the road is open to bicyclists.
“We have a very friendly bicycle road system,” Carney said. “It’s good for not only bicyclists, but also for the joggers, runners.”
Carney added that the county plans to implement bicycle education for fifth and sixth grade students soon.
“I’m biased because I’m from Mentor and a representative there, but Mentor is a designated bike-friendly community,” Kirchner said. “We’ve put in 17 miles of bike trails and seen other communities do the same. This bicycle boom is certainly exciting. You see a lot of people biking to work, and just families getting out and riding together.”
In Geauga County, Gallucci said Chardon currently has an upcoming bicycle plan in place.
“You do see it all over, I just think you see it more in the older communities because (the structure) is more accommodating,” she said. “NOACA’s board is comprised of local elected officials. We have mayors on our board who are absolutely in tune with their constituents and understand the desire to have other forms of transportation available.”
When doing a road project in Lorain County, Carney said they finish the berms in asphalt instead of gravel to make it easier for bicyclists.
“We always try to encompass the asphalt berms, which, in most cases, is generally three feet,” he said.
That distance correlates to a safe passing distance in Ohio House Bill 145, which is currently making its way through the state legislature. If passed, the bill would amend Ohio Revised Code to provide when a motor vehicle passes a bicycle the safe passing distance to the left is three feet, according to the legislation.
“We need to not think of bicycling as recreational,” Gallucci said. “It’s a very relevant form of transportation and we need to be sure we are including it in the whole system.”

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About the Authors

Liz started working at The News-Herald in July 2012. She's covered municipalities, schools and now the night beat. She likes Doctor Who, baseball, ice hockey and cheeseburgers. Reach the author at elundblad@news-herald.com
or follow Elizabeth on Twitter: @NewsHLiz.

Kaylee is the Avon-Avon Lake reporter, but you can catch her covering different stories across the county. She is a Kent State University alumna who enjoys family, friends and everything Cleveland. Reach the author at kremington@morningjournal.com
or follow Kaylee on Twitter: @MJ_KRemington.